The hooded wheatear ( Oenanthe monacha) is a wheatear, a small insectivorous passerine that was formerly classed as a member of the thrush family Turdidae, but is now more generally considered to be an Old World flycatcher, Muscicapidae.
Taxonomy and etymology
This species is placed in the genus
Oenanthe that was introduced by the French ornithologist Louis Pierre Vieillot in 1816.
The generic name,
Oenanthe, is also the name of a
plant genus, the water dropworts, and is derived from the Greek
ainos "wine" and
anthos "flower", from the wine-like scent of the flowers.
In the case of the wheatear, it refers to the northern wheatears' return to Greece in the spring at the time that the
Vitis blossom.
The specific
monacha is from
Late Latin "
monachus", monk; meaning hooded.
Its English language name has nothing to do with wheat or with ear, but is an altered (perhaps Thomas Bowdler) form of white-arse, which refers to its prominent white rump.
The hooded wheatear is a monotypic species.
Description
This wheatear has a body length of , a wingspan of , and weighs .
In summer the male is a white and black bird. The white crown and belly contrast with the black face, back and throat. The tail and rump are white with black central tail
.
The female is brown, becoming somewhat paler below. The tail pattern is similar to the male's, but the ground colour is buff rather than white.
Ecology
The Hooded wheatear is a resident breeder in unvegetated desert from eastern
Egypt through the Arabian Peninsula used to be in
UAE and
Oman a scarce breeder in Hajar mountains to
Iran and
Pakistan. It occurs annually in
Cyprus on passage. The nest is built in a rock crevice, and 3-6 eggs is the normal clutch.
It feeds on insects, often taken in the air. Its call is a whistled vit, and the song is a harsh chattering.
Status
The species is classified as "Least Concern" by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN)
due to its wide distribution, stable population trends, and presumed large enough population size, although precise population estimates are lacking.
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